Two states implement cell phone-sniffing dogs in prison
Witness killed after inmate ordered a hit via a Blackberry
11:57 a.m. Friday, July 18, 2008
At this state prison in Westover, Md., Tazz, a springer spaniel, and Sgt. Chris Caudell aren't looking for drugs or weapons, but something more dangerous, cell phones.
They're a growing problem at prisons nationwide. A convict with a cell phone can continue operating like they're on the street, intimidating witnesses, running drug networks and worse.
Last year in Baltimore, federal prosecutors say Carl Lackl, a witness in a murder trial, was killed after an inmate used a Blackberry to order a hit from inside prison.
"I think we owe it to the victims to make sure that these people cannot victimize people and run their criminal enterprises from behind our bars," said Maj. Peter Anderson, with the Maryland Division of Correction.
Even if a phone is hidden in other electronics -- like a radio or TV -- the dogs still find it. Anderson isn't sure why it works. He says there's just something about a cell phone that smells different.
"It's just a combination of all its components," he said.
Dogs like Tazz have their work cut out for them. In just one year, Maryland prison officials confiscated nearly 850 cell phones. They suspect there are more they didn't find.
"This is a little city. Think about all the goods and materials that are in a city and how it moves in and out," Maryland Division of Correction Commissioner J. Michael Stouffer said. "We have to try to work harder to screen all of that. In the meantime, the inmates know the dogs are on the case."
"We entered a tier last week, and they made an announcement: "Cell phone dogs on the tier" because they know we have them. And that was followed by the sound of a lot of flushing," Anderson said.
That's the goal, officials say, to keep cell phones from getting inside and keep convicts from being too connected with the outside.
Right now, Maryland and Virginia are the first states to train dogs to stiff out cell phones.
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